The true victims of the refugee crisis on Nauru and Manus Island revealed.

Two men earning over $330k per annum have been revealed as the real victims of the refugee crisis on Nauru and Manus Island, the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said. During a press conference on Sunday to announce a people swap deal with the Unites States of America, the PM released details on the ‘suffering’ of Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Treasurer Scott Morrison.

“Peter Dutton, and indeed his predecessor Scott Morrison, have suffered from constant, often vicious attacks, claims that they lack compassion, that they lack a heart,” he said emotionally while Mr Dutton stood woodenly in the background.

Gesticulating repeatedly, Mr Turnbull continued, “The reality is that our ability to offer sanctuary to refugees who come to Australia through orderly methods and indeed to offer, by agreement, with the United States a resettlement option to those that Labor left on Nauru and Manus, our ability to do that, our ability to ensure that compassion is available is only there because of the strength of character of Peter Dutton, his predecessor Scott Morrison and the remarkable men and women that Peter leads.”

The deal struck with the US in the dying days of Barack Obama’s administration would see refugees that Australia had previously sent to Nauru and Manus Island being vetted by America for potential resettlement. However, Secretary of the US State Department, John Kerry, confirmed to media outlets that they would only consider referrals that came via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“We in the United States have agreed to consider referrals from UNHCR on refugees now residing in Nauru and in Papua New Guinea (Manus Island),” Mr Kerry said.

In a likely people swap deal with the US, Mr Turnbull previously announced on his September visit to the UN in New York that Australia would take refugees from camps in Costa Rica. People from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have previously fled violence in their homelands from the troubled “northern triangle” for the hope of a better life in the US.

In February, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key also offered to assist Australia by resettling refugees on Nauru and Manus Island as the ‘sensible and compassionate’ way forward.

“Historically the Australians have said no but it is part of the 750 allocation that we have and if they wanted us to take people then – subject to them meeting the criteria – the New Zealand government would be obliged to do that because we’ve given that commitment that we’d do so,” he said.

The offer was rejected by the Turnbull Government but to date remains open by the New Zealand government.

It is not known yet whether incoming US President Donald Trump would honour this latest US-Australia deal when he takes over the administration on January 20, 2017.